Dropper



C. BERNABO Sept. 28, 1948.

DROPPER Filed Aug. 13, 1946 IN VENTOR C AYETA/YO BERNABO Wt47m ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 28, 1948 DROPPER Cayetano Bernabo, Buenos Aires, Argentina Application August 13, 1946, Serial No. 690,169

In Argentina April 24, 1946 This invention refers to a new type of dropmeter or dropper to be used in the administration of medicinal liquids in small doses. It acts by pressure, that is to say, the liquid is expelled from the container by the pressurenexerted within the latter by means of an elastic knob communicating with the chamber of the dropper.

The new dropper has several advantages over the systems used up to the present and among them the following may be mentioned: it allows the dropper device and the flask containing the solution to be made of one sole piece capable of being operated without separating one of its components from the other. Only one hand is needed to operate it, the other one thus being free to hold the glass or container into which the drops are caused to fall. The drops issuing from the outlet may be counted with the desired speed, and these drops have exactly the same volume with the same class of solution for all devices. It dispenses with the known pipettes which suffer from several defects, such as diversity of diamater at the outlet; impossibility of reaching down to the bottom of the container so that it becomes impossible to use the whole contents of the flask; utmost fragility in the case of glass and the like pipettes being concerned; the necessity of manufacturing innumerable sizes in accordance with the depth of the flask in which they are to be used, etc.

The dropper according to the present invention overcomes all these difliculties and ensures the extraction of the liquid up to the last drop.

In order that the invention may be duly understood and easily put into practice it is illustrated by Way of example on the attached drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a profile view of the dropper, in central section,

Fig. 2 is a view from the rear portion, and

Fig. 3 is a plan view.

In the several figures of the drawings the same visible parts are indicated with equal reference numerals.

The structure, in accordance with the model shown in the attached drawings, consists of the head I, preferably in the shape of a cylindrical capsule capable of engaging by means of a threaded coupling 2 the neck of a flask 3 or the like. For reasons of tightness, the packing washer 5 is interposed between the mouth of said container 3 and the seat 4 of the inside of head I, whereby any loss of liquid in uniting the two elements is avoided. I

3 Claims. (Cl. 222209) The top portion of head I provides the chamber 6 having the spout l at one of its sides, and it is through this that the liquid issues in drops. A threaded lid 8 or the like keeps the said spout closed as long as the drop-meter is not being used or while the flask to which it is attached is on the way from the filling laboratory, etc, to the selling counter.

At another place, the extension 9 communicates with the chamber 6, the mouth of the elastic knob l0 fitting around this extension, as is seen particularly in Fig. 1. For better connection, extension 9 may be provided with a circular groove or it may have a thickened portion around it to allow the edge 9 of knob II] to cling thereto with or without the aid of a clip, etc. Preferably made of rubber or a material replacing this, the said knob is located in such a manner that it can be reached by one of the fingers of the very hand that holds the unit at the moment of instillation. Its walls should be of a certain thickness to enable them to withstand flexion to a certain degree.

The operation is as follows:

When it is desired to extract liquid from the phial or flask 3, the lid 8 is taken off and the flask inclined over the glass into which the drops are intended to fall, the knob l0 being gently pressed then and the drops will issue from spout I easily enough to be counted according to the prescribed dose. Obviously, the pressure exerted on knob l0 brings about the compression of the air contained in flask 3 and as this compression is greater that the atmospheric pressure, the liquid issues from the flask and, owing to the inclination imposed on the flask, invades by gravity the chamber 6 or a portion thereof, in keeping with the degree of inclination imparted to the said phial or flask 3.

Should the amount of drops required be greater than the one capable of being expelled by the knob ID at its maximum compression, it is sufficient to release the latter and allow thus a fresh volume of air to be sucked in by the spout I and if then the knob is compressed again, a fresh series of drops will be expelled until the required amount is reached.

It is evident, on the other hand, that the whole contents of the flask 3 may be extracted therefrom when the final portion is reached, when all that is necessary will be to tilt the container so as to cause the liquid to invade the chamber 6 whereby complete exhaustion of the container will be brought about.

No difficulty will be experienced in counting the drops, inasmuch as they issue from the spout I at the rate desired in accordance with the degree of pressure exerted on the knob I0, the falling of drops ceasing immediately upon this knob being released.

It is clear that certain detail constructional changes may be introduced without thereby departing from the scope of the present invention the nature of which is duly ascertained in the appended claiming clauses.

What I claim is:

1. A dropper, comprising a head adapted to be fitted to a container and provided at one side with an outlet for the drops and, at the other side, with a duct, an air compressing element communicating with said duct, and the upper portion of said head housing a chamber communicating, at one side, with the duct of the air compressing element and, at the other side, with the drop outlet.

2. A dropper, comprising a head adapted to be fitted to a container and providedwat one side with a drop outlet and, at the other one, with a duct, an air compressing element communicating with said duct, the upper portion of said head-housingaichamber communicating, at one side, with the duct of the air compressing element and, at the other one, with the outlet, an extension on said head through which said duct extends, and said air compressing element further comprising an elastic knob on said extension.

3. A dropper, comprising a head adapted to be fitted to a container and provided at one side with a spout and, at the other one, with a duct, an air compressing element communicating with said duct, the upper portion of said head housing a chamber communicating, at one side, with the duct of the air compressing element and, at the other one, with the spout, said head further comprising an extension through which said duct extends, the lower portion of said head being internally threaded for threaded engagement with said container, said head having a seat for registration with the mouth of said container, and said air compressing element further comprising an elastic knob on said extension.

CAYETANO BERNABC.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 755,549 Rettig Mar. 22, 1904 2,245,774 Gregorek June 17, 1941 

